Figure 2-22 Recycling Rate and Reuse Rate of Paper

Note: Due to a change in classification types, the calculation method of waste paper collection rate was changed in fiscal year 2000; concerning the export and import of paper and cardboard, some types that had been formerly classified as paper secondary products were reclassified as printing paper in the paper category.

Source: Paper Recycling Promotion Center

### D. Home electric appliances

In general, disposed household electric appliances had been collected and processed by municipalities, but even though the necessity of recycling was especially high for the following four appliances, household air-conditioners, CRT-based televisions, refrigerators/freezers, and clothes washing machines, it was not easy for the municipalities to recycle these items. In consequence, such articles have been defined as specific household appliance wastes by the Home Appliance Recycling Law, which was enforced in April 2001 and manufacturing industries are now obliged to recycle such wastes into saleable products.

Out of all the materials used in the present production models of the above four household appliances, metals and glass are being treated, however from now on, it is necessary to promote the recycling of plastics, in keeping with the development of recycling technologies.

With the enforcement of the Home Appliance Recycling Law, manufacturing industries are now obliged to recycle the wastes from these four appliances into saleable products, and are promoting recycling. The recycling to salable products rate (except for the thermal recycling) is as follows: 60% or more for household air-conditioners, 55% or more for CRT-based televisions, 50% or more for refrigerators/freezers (freezers being added in April 2004) and 50% or more for clothes washing machines. The total number of these four appliances accepted at the specified collection sites was 12.11 million appliances in fiscal 2007, about a 4.3% increase on the previous year.

The recycling to salable products rates achieved by the manufacturing industries in fiscal 2007 were 87% for household air-conditioners, 86% for CRT-based televisions, 73% for refrigerators/freezers and 82% for clothes washing machines, all items exceeded the regulatory standards. (Figure 2-24), (Figure 2-25)

Starting from April 1, 2009, liquid crystal/plasma-panel televisions and clothes driers were added as subject appliances and middle-to-high quality plastics were added to the calculation criteria for the calculation of those recycling to salable products manufacturing industries are obliged to process; consequently, recycling to salable products rates were revised to 70% or more for household air-conditioners, 55% or more for CRT-based televisions, 50% or more for liquid crystal/plasma-panel televisions, 60% or more for refrigerators/freezers and 65% or more for clothes washing machines/clothes driers.

### E. Construction waste

Construction waste accounts for about 20 percent of the industrial waste generated and for about 80 percent of illegal dumping. In the future, especially wastes from building debris are expected to increase, as the buildings built in the boom after 1965 face refurbishment.

The amount generated, consists of concrete lumps, asphalt concrete lumps and construction site wood, and accounts for about 80% of construction wastes, such generated materials must be recycled if the construction project exceeds a specified scale as stipulated in the “Law on Recycling of the Materials Involved in the Construction Works” (Law No. 104, Year 2000) (Abbreviated: “Construction Material Recycling Act”). It is inevitable that these three items will be recycled first. (Figure 2-26)

The recycling rate of concrete mass and asphalt concrete mass is greatly improved following the “Rules on the Present Operations Concerning the Use of Recycling Resources Involved in Public Works” prepared in March 1991 (which was revised to as the “Rules on the Obligation of Recycling” in June 2006) and measures taken by each Regional Development Bureau. The actual recycling rate of these articles in fiscal 2005 has already achieved the target of 95%, which was regulated for fiscal 2010 by the Construction Material Recycling Act.

Concerning construction generated wood, good progress has been made to attain the targeted recycling rate of 95%, which was set up for fiscal 2010 (Figure 2-27). Concerning construction generated polluted mud, effective utilization of the mud is developing, following the “Guidelines on the Reclamation of the Construction Generated Polluted Mud,” drawn up in June 2006.

Moreover, concerning construction generated mixed waste, it has been thought that the segregation of construction by-products suitable for recycling purposes will be effective, therefore, it has been considered that the establishment of a “combined collection system for small lot wastes” would be necessary to effectively collect in their sorted state such small amounts of diversified construction wastes for recycling. The “Conference for Establishment of a Combined Collection System for Small-Lot Construction By-Products in the Tokyo Metropolitan District” was set-up in June 2005, in order to promote the examination of the matter.

### F. Construction generated soil

The actual amount of construction generated soil from construction sites was about 195 million cubic meters in fiscal 2005, 50 million cubic meters were reused for other constructions, a rate of 26%. On the other hand, while the amount of new materials taken out of the soil used for construction decreased by 11% from fiscal 2002, the reuse rate of construction generated soil in fiscal 2005 was 62.9%. It was not possible to achieve the target of 75%, which was set